Car-coupling.



s. P. BUSH. GAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED 1111.17, 1914.

INVENTORV Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WINE SE5 l in HI To all whom it may concern SAMUEL IE. BUSH, 0FCOLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BUCKEYE STEEL CASTINGS COMPANY, 013COLUMBUS, OHIO.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 17, 1914. Serial No. 812,783.

Be it known that I, SAMUEL P. BUSH, of Columbus, in the county ofFranklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to an improvement in car couplings, the objectbeing to prov de improved means for moving the locking block from itslock set position during the opening movement of the knuckle, so that,after the knuckle has been thrown to open position, the locking blockwill be supported by the tail of the knuckle until the latter has closedsufficiently to permit the locking block to drop from the same intolockingpositron.

With this object in view my invention consists in the details ofconstruction as will be more fully described and pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, Flgure 1 is a view in transverse verticalsection of a coupling head showing the locking block in its lock setposition and the knuckle closed; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing theknuckle partly open and the weight of the locking block transferred fromthe lock set shoulder in the throat of the coupling onto the tail of theknuckle; Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the position of the severalparts, after the knuckle has been opened and partially closed, and Fig.4 is a similar View showing the knuckle nearly closed, and the lockingblock supported on the extreme edge of the knuckle tail.

1 represents the coupling head and 2 the knuckle pivoted thereto in theordinary manner, the side or edge 3 0f the tail of the knuckle beingstraight and flat so as to have a maximum area of contact with thelocking block when the knuckle is closed. 1

The locking block 4 rests and moves within a housing in the head 1 ofthe coupling, and is supported and sustained against the pressure of theknuckle when under pulling stresses, by the rear and side walls 5 and 6,and when in its lowered or looking position, it is supported at itslower end, at its four sides by the walls of the pockets 7, which asshown depend below the floor of the coupling head. This pocket and thewalls of the coupling head forms the housing for the locking block, inwhich the latter rests and moves, and which sustains it in position tooperate automatically, after it has been lock set, or to be operated bylifting means either at the bottom or top in the well known manner.

Patented Mar 16, 1915.

The outer side wall 6 of the housing for the locking block 4, isprovided with the beveled seat 8, extending in the direction of thelength of the coupling so that the shocks due to impact and pulling,will be in the direction of the length of the seat. This 1 seat isadapted to be engaged by the beveled shoulder 9, formed near the loweredge of the locking block 4, and supports the latter in its lock setposition, in which position the reduced portion 4 of the block rests inthe horizontal path of the movement of the knuckle, thus permitting thelatter to turn to its open position.

The locking block 4 is provided with a shoulder 4 which in the presentinstance extends the width of the block, andthe portion of the blockbelow the shoulder is reduced in thickness, thus forming the reducedportion 4 previously referred to. When the locking block 4 is in itslock set position this shoulder 4 rests in a plane slightly above thetop surface of the adjacent edge of the knuckle tail, so as to permitthe knuckle to turn to open position.

When the knuckle and the locking block are in closed positions, theenlarged upper portion of the block 4 rests in the path of movement ofthe tail of the knuckle and locks the latter in its closed position.

The tail of the knuckle is provided on its upper face with a trippingsurface 2, the forward edge, or the edgetoward the looking block 4,being inclined as shown at 2. This tripping surface 2 may be providedwith an incline abrupt or gradual at its rear end or face, or it maycontinue back straight with no incline at all. The front edge of thistripping surface is set back from the front or outer edge of the tail ofthe knuckle a distance suflicient to allow some movement of the knucklewithout dislodging the looking block, and the shoulder 4 on the block ispreferably provided at its end adjacent the knuckle, with a dependingprojecting surface 4, located wholly to one side of the center ofgravity of thelocking block. This depending surface 4 is at the end ofthe shoulder adjacent the knuckle and is Wholly to the left of thecenter of gravity of the lock and is designed to make contact with thetripping surface 2 on the upper face of the knuckle tail, during theopening movement of the latter. This surface 4 on the shoulder of thelocking block need not be a projection, as the same result would followif the shoulder l were straight from end to end, but by providing aprojection having a rounded or angular surface, the locking block willbe more sensitive and tilt more readily as soon as its weight istransferred to the tripping surface 2 on the knuckle tail. The oneessential point is thatthe surface of the shoulder on the locking blockthat isengaged by the tripping surface on the tail of the knuckle, shalllie to one side of the center of gravity of the locking block, so thatassoon as the block is lifted by the tripping surface, it will tilt in adirection to carry its shoulder 9 away from, and out of the verticalplane of the seat 8.

The coupling head is provided interiorly, at a point above the knucklewith a rib 10, one face of which is substantially parallel fore and aft,with the side wall 6 of the coupling head, and of such distance therefrom, that, the upper end of the locking block 4, may have slightsidewise or transverse movement between said rib and side wall so as topermit the block 4 to tilt.

When the block 4 is in its lock set position, as shown in Fig. 1, thepreponderance of weight of the upper end of the block is to the left, ortoward the knuckle tail, hence when the block is look set, its upper endrests against and is supported by rib 10. When so supported, theshoulder 4 of the block is in a plane slightly above the adjacent edgeof the knuckle tail, but not above the plane of the tripping surface 2of the knuckle tail, hence the knuckle is free to be thrown to openposition. Just after it starts in its opening movement, its trippingsurface 2* coming in contact with the shoulder l lifts the block bodilyand as this engagement is at the left of the center of gravity, thepreponderance of weight causes the upper part of the lock to rock to theright, thus carrying its shoulder 9 away from'the seat 8, and the upperportion of the block over into contact with the side wall 6, and thisposition is maintained during the entire opening movement. In theclosing movement of the knuckle, the drag or friction between thetripping surface of the knuckle tail, and the locking block, shifts thelatter bodily to the left and into contact with the rib 6, as shown inFig. 3, and thus holds the shoulder 9 out of the plane of the seat, andafter the tripping surface of the knuckle leaves the shoulder 9, inclosing, the block settles down on the knuckle tailand carries itsshoulder 9 in plane below the seat 8 as shown in Fig. 4,

thus, absolutely preventing contact between these parts.

It will therefore be seen that with this improvement the locking blockis dislodged from its seat during the opening movement of the knuckleand is held suspended by tripping surface 2 on knuckle tail and heldaway from its seat during the opening movement by gravity, and duringthe closing movement is pulled away from its seat by the drag orfriction on the block, assisted by gravity. This construction possessesall the advantages of a lock set at the side and in the direction of thelength of the coupling, so that the impact in pulling and pushing willbe parallel to the seat of the lock set. The locking block may beactuated from the top by a chain, but I prefer to have the top closed toprevent the entrance of water and foreign substances, and actuate theblock from below by a lifting lever similar to those now in use for thatpurpose.

It is evident that many slight changes might be resorted to in therelative arrangement of parts shown and described without departing fromthe spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I would have it understoodthat I do not wish to confine myself to the exact construction andarrangement of parts shown and described, but

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In a car coupling, the combination of a coupling head the side wallof which is provided with a seat for supporting the locking block in itslock set position, a locking block having a shoulder to engage said seatand a shoulder the under face of which is adapted to be engaged by theknuckle tail, the said latter shoulder being at one side of the centerof gravity of the locking block, and a knuckle the tail of which isprovided with a surface for lifting the locking block from its lock setseat and for supporting it while it turns by gravity to a verticalposition away from said lock set seat during the opening movement of theknuckle, the said locking block being retained on the tail of theknuckle during the closing movement of the knuckle by the drag orfriction between the parts and by gravity.

2. In a car coupling, the combination of a coupling head the side wallof which is provided with a seat for supporting the locking block in itslock set position, a locking block having a shoulder to engage said seatand a shoulder the under face of which is adapted to be engaged by theknuckle tail, the said latter shoulder being at one side of the centerof gravity of the locking block, and a knuckle the tail of which has aninclined surface whereby when the said inclined surface moves under itsshoulder on the locking block during the opening movement of the Intestimony whereof, I have signed this knuckle, the said block will belifted from specification in the presence of two subits lock set seatand tilt by gravity away scribing witnesses.

from said lock set seat, and will be retained SAMUEL P. BUSH. on thetail of the knuckle during the closing Witnesses:

movement of the latter by the drag or fric- F. G. BENNETT,

tion between the parts and by gravity. N. A. GRIFFIN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0."

